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As I mentioned in the previous post, others’ naivety and a bit of luck are extremely important in order to ‘pass’. However, a third component is present as well: one’s ability to capitalize on that naivety and that luck, one’s predatory spirit.

Many would categorize, somewhat unfairly, that the psychopath’s tactics are predatory but would not use the same adjective to describe transgenderists. Neither group is particularly liked by society, but society is willing to give transgenderists the benefit of the doubt whereas society assumes that psychopaths must be evil. I would argue that alignment means nothing to this point, both transgenderists and psychopaths are merely capitalizing on the deficiencies of people. The transgender person may be using your naivety and their own luck to get what they want: to be perceived as a member of the sex they are approximating. The psychopath is doing the same actions looking to get whatever benefit they want. The implications are the same. [Read more…]

The key to invading circles that one ‘does not belong in’ is to pass well. This applies to both transgenderists and psychopaths. Passing is the art of keeping some internal characteristic hidden in a way, or emphasizing other characteristics in a manner, such that others do not suspect you possess that characteristic. This differs from anonymity as you are not hiding yourself in full. A transgender person passes when others do not suspect that their outward dress, mannerisms, and body deny their true biological sex. A psychopath passes when she is considered empathic, trustworthy, interested in others, or otherwise ‘normal’ as appropriate. In both cases, passing is the act of wearing a disguise in such a way to where others do not know of your true internal state. Now, the degree to which the disguise is worn for ill-intent can vary, and is much more applicable to the mask worn by the psychopath rather than the makeup of the female transgenderist, but it is still, nevertheless, a disguise. To pass is to wear your mask such that the separation of flesh and disguise is not perceivable. I pass on both fronts. [Read more…]

Nintendo, a video game hardware and software provider, announced new characters for their upcoming iteration of Super Smash Bros., a fighting game starring characters that tend to be intellectual properties of Nintendo, for their newest console, the Wii U. From what I understand of this series, players control avatars that, using Nintendo-themed items, strive to eject one another from a map and whoever has the most evictions of other players from the game stage wins. One of the new characters is a stoic staple in their Animal Crossing series of games – the villager. The Internet quickly exploded and started a meme that the character must be a psychopath because of his stoicism and the seeming gleam in his eye. The full description of the meme and sample images can be viewed here.

This paints a terribly inaccurate picture of most psychopaths. As I’ve mentioned briefly before, psychopaths are not required to be violence-seeking beings of chaos. The quick and dirty rule of psychopathy is that we live by the mantra of putting ourselves first and seeking any means necessary to achieve our wants and desires. What benefit is there to end up in prison due to random acts of violence? I am not saying that no psychopaths live for such bloodlust, but many of us do not, even if we may fantasize about it. This meme suggests that we are unhinged monsters seeking nothing more than to harm others. As fun as it can be to see others hurting, once again the risk of imprisonment is just not worth it. [Read more…]

Even though humans possess a great deal of choice, we delude ourselves to believe in immutables in order to protect ourselves from that which we don’t want to accept. Humans do not fear black and white, they fear the shades of grey.

What would be the implications if gender presentation and identity could be a choice for an individual? Would it really be that different from choosing to convert from Catholicism to Islam? From omnivore to vegetarian? Of course, the social conservatives would flip out with diatribes about sin and the conscious choices that lead to it. However, I also think the left side of the spectrum would lose it as well. Their narrative is that gender identity is fixed from birth and thus should be protected from the whims of the majority as having characteristics that are uncontrollable for the individual. Would the standards of care have to change if gender identity was not fixed from birth? Should they change? [Read more…]

I think there is a great difference between being a constant liar and a strategic liar. The constant liar is easy to pick up on. They recklessly tell many more falsehoods than truth, sometimes avoiding truth altogether, and the stories quickly fail the smell test. Eventually the inconsistencies catch up with them and they are no longer trusted by anyone. What purpose does this serve the liar? Does it make them feel better about themselves to build such a network of lies when no one subscribes to their story? From the exaggerator that inflates achievements and experiences to the professional that fakes credentials, constantly lying leads to an inescapable fate of not being able to win over anyone. Many psychopaths fall into this category, but I will argue that they are not using their talents to the degree that they could. They are stupid psychopaths. The truly successful psychopaths realize that lying is an art and, if used correctly – like a spice to enhance a meal – , can hold great power.

Now, I am not saying that the successful psychopath cannot tell any lies. In fact, I do believe it is possible to tell more lies than reality in one’s quest to charm and manipulate a target. The trick is to remain strategic in the telling of lies. I take the following approaches in my use of lying to get the outcome I want from a person that I am talking to. By and large, I am very successful. [Read more…]